swenson



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

M. SWENSON.

MECHANISM FOR CLEANING SEED COTTON. No. 599,575. Patented Feb. 22, 1898.

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' 2 SheetsSheet 2. M. SWENSON. MECHANISM FOR CLEANING SEED COTTON.

Patented Feb. 22, 1.898.

V m gnasgwewson W I P UNITED ,STATES1 PATENT OFFICE.

MAGNUS 'SWENSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE AMERICAN COTTON COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

MECHANISM FQR CLEANING SEED-COTTON.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No- 599,575, dated February 22, 1898.

- Application filed October 16, 1896. Serial No. 609,147. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MAGNUS SwENsoN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Mechanism for Cleaning Seed-Cotton, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means or mechanism for cleaning seed-cotton; and a primary object of the invention. is to provide means to remove or eliminate from the seed-cotton such foreign substances as stones, nails, and the like prior to its delivery to the gins.

To this end my invention consists of the va rious features, combinations of features, and details of construction hereinafter described, and then pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings a mechanism embodying my invention is fully illustrated.

Figure 1 is a side View of a mechanism embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan View thereof, and Figs. 3 and 4 are details of the picking or opening mechanism.

As illustrated, I have shown my improved device or'mechanism embodied in and forming part of a conveyer particulary designed and adapted for delivering seed-cotton from the cotton-house to the gin-house.

Referring now to the drawings, A is a belt or apron which is supported so as to be freely movable and to which movement, in the direction indicated by the arrow, is imparted by suitable means. The belt or apron A may be of any desired or approved construction. As shown, it consists of slats Ct, covered with cloth a, said slats a being secured to the links of chain belts a and said belt is supported upon sprocket-wheels a to which the chain belts a are adjusted, said sprocketwheels being secured to shafts (1 mounted in proper position. Preferably, also, side boards A are arranged at the sides of the belt A and prevent the seed-cottonfrom falling off from said belt.

Supported so as to rotate freely at the end of the upper section of the belt A toward which said upper section thereof moves is a picker-cylinder B, consisting of a rigid cylindrical body portion 13', in which is secured a plurality of picker teeth b.

The picker-cylinder B extends across the belt A and is so located relative to said belt that the ends of the picker-teeth b will pass close to the surface of said belt, and rapid rotary movement is imparted to said pickercylinder from any suitable source of power by means of a belt I), applied to a pulley B secured to the shaft of said picker-cylinder. A desirable rate of speed for said picker-cylinder is about one thousand revolutions per minute.

The picker-cylinder B is inclosed in a casing 13 the end walls of which are formed by the side boards A and upward extensions thereof and the top of which comprises a screen-section 12 The said casing B is provided on the side thereof at which the belt A enters with an admission-opening b which extends upward from said belt to the tops of the side boards A and through which seedcotton is carried by the said belt to the pickercylinder B. Said casing B is also provided with a discharge-opening, to which a short flue or chute is adjusted, said flue or chute being located below said picker-cylinder. Supported adjacent to the discharge-opening of said casing B is the open end of a flue B, the sides of which are air-tight, and to the opposite end of which is applied a fan or blower, (indicated by B The open end of said flue B is preferably bellshaped or flaring and is supported in such manner that it will be adjustable toward the discharge-opening of the casing B As shown, said flue 13 comprises a telescoping section B which affords convenient means for making the desired adjustment. Operation of the blower B will create a suction into the open end of said flue which will tend to draw anything discharged from the casing B into said fine, and the adjustment of the open end of said flue relatively to the discharge-opening of said casing is such that the current of air passing into the open end of the flue will be strong enough to carry loose or opened seed-cotton with it into said flue, but not strong enough to carry with it objects of greater specific gravity-as stones, nails, and the like-'which will fall between the discharge-opening of the casing B and the open end of the flue B and will thus be eliminated or removed from the cotton. Preferably, also, the flue 13* comprises a horizontal section b, a vertical section 6 which extends upward from said horizontal section, and a pocket B at the bottom of the vertical section b of the flue B. As shown, the pocket B is formed by extending the vertical section of the flue 13 below the horizontal section 1) thereof and closing the end thereof with a removable cap I). It is obvious that any heavy foreign substances which may have been carried into the fine B" will fall into said pocket B which will thus supplement the action of the other agencies for cleaning said cotton and in connection therewith practically insuring that all foreign substances of greater specific gravity than the cotton and which will be liable to injure the gin-saws will be eliminated from the cotton.

From the blower or fan 13 the seed-cotton is delivered directly to the gins.

In practice the conveyer-belt A will preferably be located in the cotton-house between bins in which the seed-cotton is contained and whence it may conveniently be discharged upon said belt, all as clearly indicated in Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, in which D represents in diagram the bins containing the seed-cotton.

It is obvious that the centrifugal force generated by the rotation of the picker-cylinder B will operate to discharge considerable quantities of fine gravel and other dirt through the screen-section b of the casing B I claim 1. In a device or mechanism for cleaning seed-cotton and other similar products, the combination of means to separate or open the cotton into a loose mass, a discharge therefrom through which the separated and opened cotton is delivered, a flue, an adjustable flaring open section telescoping within the line and separated from and adjustable with respect to said discharge, whereby the cotton passing into said flue is projected over an airspace, and means to create a current of air in said flue, substantially as set forth.

2. In a device or mechanism for cleaning seed-cotton and other similar products, the combination of means to separate and open the cotton in to a loose mass, a discharge therefrom through which the separated and opened cotton is delivered, a horizontal flue the open end of which is separated from and adjustable with respect to the said discharge, whereby the cotton passing into said flue is projected over an air-space, a vertical continuation of the flue extending below the horizontal portion to form a pocket closed at its lower end, and means to create a current of air through both portions of said flue, substantially as set forth.

3. In a device or mechanism for cleaning seed-cotton and other similar products, the combination of means to separate the seedcotton into a loose mass, said means comprising a picker-cylinder, a casing in which said picker-cylinder is mounted, the top of which comprises ascreen-section, admission and discharge openings in said casing and means to impart rotary movement to said cylinder, a flue separated from but adjustable with respect to the discharge-opening and into which the loosened cotton is delivered, and means to create a current of air in said flue,whereby the cotton delivered thereto through the discharge-opening will be projected across an air-space, substantially as described.

4. In a device or mechanism for cleaning seed-cotton and other similar products, the combination of a casin g, a picker-cylinder mounted in said casing to which the cotton is delivered, means for rapidly rotating said picker-cylinder, whereby the cotton will be separated into a loose mass, a discharge from said picker-cylinder through which the separated cotton will be delivered by the action of said cylinder, an open-ended flue located adjacent to said discharge and adjustable with respect to the same, and means to create a current of air in said flue, substantially as set forth.

5. Means for conveying seed-cotton to gins and simultaneously cleaning the same, comprising an endless belt traveling adjacent to the storage-bins and on which the seed-cotton is delivered, a rapidly-rotating picker-cyliin der working adjacent to said belt and by which the cotton will be swept off of said belt, and separated into a loose mass, a discharge from said picker-cylinder, an openended flue arranged adjacent to said discharge and adjustable with respect to the same, and means for creating a draft in said flue, substantially as set forth.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have hereunto set my hand this 26th day of September, 1896.,

MAGNUS SlVENSON.

Vitnesses:

B. A. JOHNSTON, J. II. GIBSON. 

